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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: spring · patient · perch · key · saw · shower · toast · track

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. toast — bread
  3. spring — a coil
  4. saw — the tool
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. spring — the season
  10. key — for a lock
  11. track — a path
  12. track — a song
  13. shower — to wash
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. saw — the tool
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. key — in music
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. spring — of water
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. shower — rain
  22. key — the most important part
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. perch — the fish

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com